How to Take a Scrolling Screenshot on Mac
If you want to take a scrolling screenshot on your Mac, there’s a limitation: macOS doesn’t support this feature natively. The Screenshot app, opened with ⇧⌘5, just captures what you see on the screen. Edge has scrolling screenshots built in, but Safari does not, and Apple hasn’t announced plans to add this, even in macOS 27 Golden Gate. So, you’ll need a workaround. The best method depends on whether you’re capturing a web page or something else.
On this page
Full Page Screenshot on Mac: Capture a Whole Web Page
You don’t need extra software to capture a full page in most browsers. Three out of four browsers on Mac already have this feature if you know where to find it.
How to screenshot a full web page on Mac as a PDF
The simplest way is to open the page in Safari, go to File, and select Export as PDF. Choose where to save it and give it a name, and that’s it.
There is a trade-off: this method gives you a PDF, not an image. Safari treats the page as a document for archiving, not as a screenshot for sharing. PDFs are easier to edit, so if you need a fixed record or want to add notes, this might not be the best choice. But for saving an article, it works well.
Safari full-page screenshot: the hidden Web Inspector
Safari can take a true full-page screenshot, but this feature is hidden in the developer tools:
- Open Safari, then Settings, go to the Advanced tab, and turn on Show features for web developers.
- A Develop menu appears in the menu bar: choose Show Web Inspector, or press ⌘⌥I.
- In the Elements tab, right-click the line that starts with the html tag.
- Choose Capture Screenshot. Safari renders the entire element into a single PNG file, which you save normally.
A big advantage of this method is that you can choose a specific part of the page, not just the whole thing. For example, you can select an article, a table, or a comment thread and get a clean screenshot of just that section, without the header or sidebar. Extensions can’t do this as well. The downside is that if you’re new to the inspector, the interface can look intimidating.
Chrome full page screenshot on Mac, no extension needed
Chrome also has this feature, but it’s hidden in the command menu. This is probably the quickest way of the three:
- On the page you want to capture, press ⌘⌥I to open the developer tools.
- Press ⌘⇧P to open the command menu.
- Type “screenshot” and choose “Capture full size screenshot”.
Chrome saves a PNG of the whole page straight to your Downloads folder. The same menu also lets you capture a specific area or a single element, just like in Safari.
Firefox screenshot full page: the built-in option
Firefox is the only Mac browser where full-page capture is a standard, visible feature. Just right-click anywhere on the page, choose “Take Screenshot,” then “Save full page.” You’ll see a preview and then get a PNG. If you need this often, it’s worth keeping Firefox installed just for this feature.
Browser extensions to capture an entire page on Mac
If you take screenshots of pages often, using an extension can save you time and clicks:
GoFullPage
Click the icon, the extension scrolls automatically, and you get a PNG or PDF. The simplest option in the group.
FireShot
Captures the entire page, the visible area, or a selection, with markup tools and PDF export.
Awesome Screenshot
One of the few that handles Safari properly, with annotations before saving and screen recording.
Nimbus Screenshot
Full-page capture, annotations, and cloud upload.
Extensions need permission to read all the content on a page to capture it. Always check the permissions before installing, and don’t leave these extensions active on pages with sensitive information like customer data, internal dashboards, or email.
Take a Long Screenshot on Mac Outside the Browser
The methods above only work for web pages. For things like Slack conversations, long message threads, Finder lists, spreadsheets, or settings panes, you’ll need an app that scrolls and stitches images together as you go. This is called a panoramic capture.
Best scrolling screenshot apps for Mac
| App | Platforms | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sowiks | macOS | 7-day trial, free plan, paid tiers |
| CleanShot X | macOS | About $35 one-time, or from $10 per month |
| Snagit | macOS and Windows | About €43 ($50) after the trial |
| Shottr | macOS | Free, with a paid Pro version |
Sowiks
You select an area once, then scroll through the content while the app captures and stitches everything into one tall image. A live minimap lets you see your progress. It also detects sticky headers and footers, keeping them out of the final image, and removes the scrollbar edge from each frame. When you’re done, the result opens in the editor for annotation and can be delivered as a link instead of a file.
CleanShot X
CleanShot X is a choice for scrolling screenshots outside the browser. After you capture an image, it appears on a shelf at the edge of your screen, ready to drag into another app. You can also pin a capture above other windows, and it turns transparent when you hover over it so you can see what’s underneath. All features are available from the menu bar, so you don’t need to remember shortcuts you rarely use.
Snagit
In the “All-in-One” tab, start by clicking “Capture,” select the area, begin a panoramic capture, scroll through the content, and stop when you’re done. Snagit costs more, but it can capture apps, games, or any window just as easily.
Shottr
Shottr is lightweight, only a few megabytes to download, and it handles scrolling screenshots and text recognition. It’s a great starting point if you want to try this out without paying.
For most Mac users, the built-in screenshot tool is usually enough. If you only take screenshots occasionally, stick with free options; they do the job. But if you capture and share images regularly and need advanced features like annotation, a dedicated app will save you time and hassle.
Fallback: record while you scroll
Some situations still defeat every method, like apps that block screenshots, protected content, or canvases that redraw as you scroll. The workaround isn’t fancy, but it always works: press ⇧⌘5, select “Record Selected Portion,” frame the area, start recording, scroll slowly, then stop.
You won’t get a single image, but you’ll save all the content, and it only takes about twenty seconds. If you convert the recording to a GIF, it’s easy to include in a ticket or message. Sowiks can do this for you, recording the area as a video or GIF and giving you a direct link, so you don’t have to send a large file.
Which Method Should You Choose?
| What you need | What to use |
|---|---|
| A one-off web page | Safari’s Export as PDF, in two clicks and with nothing to install. |
| A true image of a web page | Safari’s Web Inspector, Chrome’s command menu, or Firefox if you already use it. |
| A specific page section | The Web Inspector, with the relevant block selected. It’s the only method that crops cleanly. |
| Several pages a day | An extension like GoFullPage, to eliminate the extra steps. |
| Content outside the browser | CleanShot X, Snagit, or Shottr; there’s no serious free alternative. |
| Content you can’t capture | A video or GIF while you scroll. |
Scrolling Screenshot Pitfalls on Mac
Scrolling screenshots rarely fail completely. More often, they look fine at first but have a flaw you only notice after sending:
Blank areas in the middle of the image
This happens because of lazy-loaded images. The browser only loads them when you scroll to them, so the screenshot might miss them if you capture too soon. To avoid this, scroll through the whole page from top to bottom before taking the screenshot.
A repeated header
Sticky navigation bars stay fixed on the screen, so they can appear multiple times in a stitched screenshot. Web Inspector methods avoid this problem. Panoramic capture apps handle it differently: some remove the fixed sections, others don’t. Test your tool on a page with a sticky nav bar prior to relying on it for long captures.
A cookie banner or chat bubble in the middle
These items use fixed positioning and end up in your screenshot. Close them before you start capturing.
An oversized file
A very long page can create an image that’s thousands of pixels tall, making it hard to read and large. To fix this, split the page into several PDFs or capture it section by section using the Web Inspector.
A black rectangle instead of the content
Some apps, such as Apple TV, block screenshots of their windows for content protection. No setting gets around that.
One last tip: a full-page screenshot often includes more than you expect, like sidebars, recommendation blocks, the footer, and sometimes the tab bar or your account name. Always review the whole image before sending it. This helps prevent accidentally sharing private details like an email address or folder name. Usually, cropping the image before sending is the best fix.
FAQ
Does macOS offer native scrolling screenshots?
No. The Screenshot app, opened with Shift-Command-5, captures only the visible area. Apple has not announced this kind of feature, including for macOS 27 Golden Gate. You'll need a browser or a third-party app.
How do I capture a full page in Safari?
You have two options. For a PDF: choose File, then Export as PDF. For a true image: turn on Show features for web developers in Advanced settings, open the Web Inspector with Command-Option-I, right-click the HTML tag, and choose Capture Screenshot.
How do I do it in Chrome without an extension?
Open DevTools with Command-Option-I, then open the command menu with Command-Shift-P, type “screenshot,” and choose “Capture full size screenshot.” The PNG lands within your Downloads folder.
How do I get an image instead of a PDF?
All Web Inspector or DevTools methods create a PNG, unlike Safari’s PDF export. Extensions and panoramic capture apps do too.
How do I capture a long screenshot on Mac outside a browser?
Use a scrolling capture app: Shottr, which is free, CleanShot X, or Snagit. Browser methods only work on web pages. If that is not an option, record the area while you scroll.
Why does my full-page screenshot have blank areas?
Because the page loads images as you scroll, they may not have appeared when you took the screenshot. Scroll through the entire page once, then run the capture again.
What if my file is too large to send?
Split the page into multiple screenshots or PDFs, or capture only the useful section with the Web Inspector. Even simpler: share a link to the image instead of the file itself.
Vasyl is a Product Marketing Manager at MySignature with experience in SEO and Growth. He has been featured on HubSpot, The Next Web, ActiveCampaign, and other well-known marketing blogs.
Capture the whole page, then share it
Sowiks does scrolling capture, annotation, and one-link sharing from the menu bar. Free for local capture and editing.
Download Sowiks for Mac